efficacy of smallpox vaccination

1
510 several of these factors. These views have been put forward by Pask 4 in a careful survey of general anoes- thesia in traumatic shock. Recent controversies on what constitutes " modern anaesthesia" suggest that there is still much to be learnt, and not only by recruits to the ranks of anaesthetists. The shocked patient is best served by his anaesthetist concentrating on maintain- ing a perfect airway and adequate oxygenation, and on keeping the level of anaesthesia as light as possible com- patible with the surgeon’s requirements.. These consti- tute the true criteria of modernity and good anaesthetic work and should not be obscured by emphasis on appara- tus ; moreover, drugs and methods which make these criteria uncertain of realisation by the inexpert are unsuitable for blitz or battlefield.. IN MEMORY OF WARRINGTON YORKE BiG men are an asset to any school, and especially to a big school. Warrington Yorke was big in every sense, in stature, in intellect and in consuming energy, combined with a rare adaptability that ensured him success over a wide field of investigation. The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine claims him proudly as a product of the school ; certain it is that he embodied its spirit and vigour over a human generation. For the last 15 years of his life he had turned to the chemotherapy of tropical diseases. Patient, ingenious, logical work on drug resistance in parasites led him to find effective ways of attacking protozoal infections on their own ground and to the hope of at last mastering even kala-azar. The Croonian lecture on which he was engaged at the time of his death a year ago would have marked an epoch in the progress of sanifying the colonies for which we are responsible. The council of the Liverpool school have decided that the new chemotherapeutic research depart- ment which Yorke inaugurated, but did not live to see completed, shall be associated with his name. These stones shall be for a memorial of him. His colleagues, friends and past students of the school will no doubt agree, but there will be a far larger circle who recognise their obligation to a school which came to life 46 years ago in response to Joseph Chamberlain’s appeal for trained workers, has never lacked teachers of distinction, has organised scientific expeditions without number, and during the last war scattered its staff over the various theatres-Ross at Alexandria, Newstead in Flanders, Prout at Cairo, Yorke at Malta, and Blacklock at the Dardanelles. Subscriptions, large or small, may be ad- dressed to the hon. treasurer of the Warrington Yorke Memorial Fund, 1, Old Hall Street, Liverpool. EFFICACY OF SMALLPOX VACCINATION THE Middlesex outbreak illustrates what can be hoped from vaccination. The first case was a man of 24 who had been vaccinated in infancy and again in 1942 ; he had a mild attack and recovered. There were seven secondary cases and four tertiary. Three of the secon- dary cases were fatal: two of these were healthy young women who had not been vaccinated at all ; the third was a woman of 52 who was suffering from car- cinoma and had been vaccinated only in infancy. Of the remainder, three nurses had been vaccinated a long time before contact-one in 1926, <me in infancy, and one at the age of 3-4 years-and one of these was re- vaccinated after contact. A man in the fifties had been vaccinated in infancy and again at some unknown date. Two women and a boy, all tertiary cases, were vaccinated for the first time after contact. All of these seven people had mild attacks. Irrespective of their vaccinal history, all those known to have been exposed to infec- tion should be vaccinated or revaccinated as soon as pos- sible. In one patient in the Glasgow outbreak revaccina- tion done on the day of first contact failed to prevent 4. Pask, A. E. Brit. J. An&oelig;sth. 1941, 17, 129. a severe attack, but that is exceptional. In the vast majority of cases, vaccination immediately following first contact will protect or ensure a mild attack. A SCHOOL OF HEALTH IN appointing Brigadier F. A. E. Crew, FRS, to the chair of public health at Edinburgh the university court pay honour to one of their own prophets. Long before it became fashionable to do so, Professor Crew was declaring the importance of social medicine. His mind always roved beyond the confines of his own department of animal genetics, and when two years ago he went to the War Office it again became evident that he interprets medicine in a wider sense than is usual. His designation as director of biological research embodied the claim of the medical officer to be not only a doctor and sanitarian but also a practising biologist, concerned with every activity of the soldier under his care. At Edinburgh, we may safely suppose, Professor Crew will inspire his students to become social biologists, interested in the roots as well as the fruits of disease. In asking him to do so, his colleagues say that " it is not sufficient to protect the public individually and collectively against the epidemic diseases, but health, bodily and mental, must be created and preserved by all possible means known to social and medical science." Side by side with their teaching on health the students will receive instruc- tion, as before, in environmental hygiene, sanitation, and the control of communicable infections-most of this being undertaken by Dr. W. G. Clark, Edinburgh’s medical officer of health, and his staff. The training given by Dr. Clark and Professor Crew will be comple- mentary, and other academic departments, such as those of child life and health, tuberculosis, psychiatry, and social study, will collaborate in creating and develop- ing what is termed " this university school of health." THE QUESTIONARY PRACTITIONERS who have not yet completed and re- turned to the British Institute of Public Opinion the questionary on the white-paper are asked to do so without delay. Sir JOHN FRASER is to succeed Sir Thomas Holland as principal of Edinburgh University at the end of the present academic year.. Sir John has held since 1925 the regius chair of clinical surgery in the university. In the annotation on tuberculosis in the young child (April 1, p. 442) Dr. W. F. Richards should be quoted as saying that of 12 infants under 1 year, 3 died of miliary spread. A BRITISH COLORIMETER..&mdash;In prewar days we were content to rely on other countries for much of our optical equip- ment-colorimeters came usually from Central Europe and America. Now the former source is cut off, and shipping difficulties and home demands interfere with the latter. It has taken 4! years to make up the deficit so far as the general laboratory user is concerned, but Tintometer Ltd., of Salisbury, have now produced an all-purpose colorimeter that should be adequate for all needs. The Ogal’ in- strument is a combined full-size and microcolorimeter with original features that should help to keep the instru- ment in accurate adjustment ; it has a built-in light source providing steady illumination, and an easily read scale. The price is not excessive by present-day standards. SPREAD OF LEiSHMANiAsis.&mdash;Dr. G. Sternfeld reports (Harefuah, 1944) that leishmaniasis, which haS’ long been endemic in southern Palestine, round Jericho and the Dead Sea, is now spreading to Haifa and the northern parts of the country. It seems to be following industrial develop- ment. The Arabian population rarely seek treatment for it, and immigrants are bringing it in from Aleppo and elsewhere. He considers that new endemic centres will be established in the north unless sporadic cases are sought and treated radically.

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several of these factors. These views have been putforward by Pask 4 in a careful survey of general anoes-thesia in traumatic shock. Recent controversies onwhat constitutes " modern anaesthesia" suggest thatthere is still much to be learnt, and not only by recruitsto the ranks of anaesthetists. The shocked patient isbest served by his anaesthetist concentrating on maintain-ing a perfect airway and adequate oxygenation, and onkeeping the level of anaesthesia as light as possible com-patible with the surgeon’s requirements.. These consti-tute the true criteria of modernity and good anaestheticwork and should not be obscured by emphasis on appara-tus ; moreover, drugs and methods which make thesecriteria uncertain of realisation by the inexpert are

unsuitable for blitz or battlefield..

IN MEMORY OF WARRINGTON YORKE- BiG men are an asset to any school, and especially to abig school. Warrington Yorke was big in every sense,in stature, in intellect and in consuming energy, combinedwith a rare adaptability that ensured him success over awide field of investigation. The Liverpool School of

Tropical Medicine claims him proudly as a product of theschool ; certain it is that he embodied its spirit andvigour over a human generation. For the last 15 yearsof his life he had turned to the chemotherapy of tropicaldiseases. Patient, ingenious, logical work on drugresistance in parasites led him to find effective ways ofattacking protozoal infections on their own ground andto the hope of at last mastering even kala-azar. TheCroonian lecture on which he was engaged at the time ofhis death a year ago would have marked an epoch in theprogress of sanifying the colonies for which we are

responsible. The council of the Liverpool school havedecided that the new chemotherapeutic research depart-ment which Yorke inaugurated, but did not live to seecompleted, shall be associated with his name. Thesestones shall be for a memorial of him. His colleagues,friends and past students of the school will no doubtagree, but there will be a far larger circle who recognisetheir obligation to a school which came to life 46 yearsago in response to Joseph Chamberlain’s appeal fortrained workers, has never lacked teachers of distinction,has organised scientific expeditions without number, andduring the last war scattered its staff over the varioustheatres-Ross at Alexandria, Newstead in Flanders,Prout at Cairo, Yorke at Malta, and Blacklock at theDardanelles. Subscriptions, large or small, may be ad-dressed to the hon. treasurer of the Warrington YorkeMemorial Fund, 1, Old Hall Street, Liverpool.

EFFICACY OF SMALLPOX VACCINATION

THE Middlesex outbreak illustrates what can be hopedfrom vaccination. The first case was a man of 24 whohad been vaccinated in infancy and again in 1942 ; hehad a mild attack and recovered. There were sevensecondary cases and four tertiary. Three of the secon-dary cases were fatal: two of these were healthyyoung women who had not been vaccinated at all ; thethird was a woman of 52 who was suffering from car-cinoma and had been vaccinated only in infancy. Ofthe remainder, three nurses had been vaccinated a longtime before contact-one in 1926, <me in infancy, andone at the age of 3-4 years-and one of these was re-vaccinated after contact. A man in the fifties had beenvaccinated in infancy and again at some unknown date.Two women and a boy, all tertiary cases, were vaccinatedfor the first time after contact. All of these seven

people had mild attacks. Irrespective of their vaccinalhistory, all those known to have been exposed to infec-tion should be vaccinated or revaccinated as soon as pos-sible. In one patient in the Glasgow outbreak revaccina-tion done on the day of first contact failed to prevent

4. Pask, A. E. Brit. J. An&oelig;sth. 1941, 17, 129.

a severe attack, but that is exceptional. In the vastmajority of cases, vaccination immediately followingfirst contact will protect or ensure a mild attack.

A SCHOOL OF HEALTH

IN appointing Brigadier F. A. E. Crew, FRS, to thechair of public health at Edinburgh the university courtpay honour to one of their own prophets. Long beforeit became fashionable to do so, Professor Crew was

declaring the importance of social medicine. His mind

always roved beyond the confines of his own departmentof animal genetics, and when two years ago he went tothe War Office it again became evident that he interpretsmedicine in a wider sense than is usual. His designationas director of biological research embodied the claim ofthe medical officer to be not only a doctor and sanitarianbut also a practising biologist, concerned with everyactivity of the soldier under his care. At Edinburgh,we may safely suppose, Professor Crew will inspire hisstudents to become social biologists, interested in theroots as well as the fruits of disease. In asking him todo so, his colleagues say that " it is not sufficient toprotect the public individually and collectively againstthe epidemic diseases, but health, bodily and mental,must be created and preserved by all possible meansknown to social and medical science." Side by side withtheir teaching on health the students will receive instruc-tion, as before, in environmental hygiene, sanitation,and the control of communicable infections-most ofthis being undertaken by Dr. W. G. Clark, Edinburgh’smedical officer of health, and his staff. The traininggiven by Dr. Clark and Professor Crew will be comple-mentary, and other academic departments, such as

those of child life and health, tuberculosis, psychiatry,and social study, will collaborate in creating and develop-ing what is termed " this university school of health."

THE QUESTIONARYPRACTITIONERS who have not yet completed and re-

turned to the British Institute of Public Opinion thequestionary on the white-paper are asked to do so withoutdelay.

Sir JOHN FRASER is to succeed Sir Thomas Hollandas principal of Edinburgh University at the end of thepresent academic year.. Sir John has held since 1925the regius chair of clinical surgery in the university.

In the annotation on tuberculosis in the young child(April 1, p. 442) Dr. W. F. Richards should be quotedas saying that of 12 infants under 1 year, 3 died ofmiliary spread.

A BRITISH COLORIMETER..&mdash;In prewar days we were contentto rely on other countries for much of our optical equip-ment-colorimeters came usually from Central Europe andAmerica. Now the former source is cut off, and shippingdifficulties and home demands interfere with the latter. Ithas taken 4! years to make up the deficit so far as the

general laboratory user is concerned, but Tintometer Ltd.,of Salisbury, have now produced an all-purpose colorimeterthat should be adequate for all needs. The Ogal’ in-strument is a combined full-size and microcolorimeterwith original features that should help to keep the instru-ment in accurate adjustment ; it has a built-in light sourceproviding steady illumination, and an easily read scale. Theprice is not excessive by present-day standards.SPREAD OF LEiSHMANiAsis.&mdash;Dr. G. Sternfeld reports

(Harefuah, 1944) that leishmaniasis, which haS’ long beenendemic in southern Palestine, round Jericho and the DeadSea, is now spreading to Haifa and the northern parts ofthe country. It seems to be following industrial develop-ment. The Arabian population rarely seek treatment for it,and immigrants are bringing it in from Aleppo and elsewhere.He considers that new endemic centres will be establishedin the north unless sporadic cases are sought and treatedradically.